


Two Lives

by tigereyes45



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: 2019 caryler secret santa exchange, 7th annual caryl secret santa exchange, AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:27:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21979561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigereyes45/pseuds/tigereyes45
Summary: After the Whisperers War Carol finds herself alone on a hill. She watches the zombies struggling to make it up and feels nothing, until someone finds her. He always finds her in these moments.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon & Carol Peletier, Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Two Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ClosingtheValves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClosingtheValves/gifts).



> I don't think the violence in this is that graphic but hey, its the zombie apocalypse and throwing stones into decaying heads may count.
> 
> Also this was a secret santa gift for a-square-minus-one on tumblr. It was the first time I've ever written for the tv series so it's a little bit of rough practice.

Carol stands steady as she faces down a group of three walkers try and fail to climb up the hill towards her. A numb sensation crawls through her like a spider through its web. It was colder than the rocks in her hands. Still, it was familiar. So familiar in fact that as it moves from the small of her back to the base of her neck Carol doesn’t even flinch. She takes in the sound of a snapping stick behind her and assumes. Only one person would come out here for no reason, and there were only two who would risk following her. The scent of dead rabbits and beach bark proves her hunch right.

“What are you doin’ out here?”

“Scouting.” It was convenient, this little code they had come up with. Where they lie with one-word answers and the other just knows what they mean. It almost made Carol feel understood. Yet even these years with Daryl by her side, there were still secrets. Moments neither were there for the others. Unspoken truths that weren’t being hidden away but they just weren’t talked about.

“And them?” He gestures lazily with a piece of jerky between his fingers. Flecks of meat fall off from the simplistic move. Food that could have been consumed but in the long run means nothing. The others probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“Dying again.”

She lets one rock fly. It cuts through the sky like her knife does through walker flesh. The thought becomes even more comparable as it sinks its way into one of their cheeks. The skin sags down from the weight. Eventually, with a sickening plop, it drops. Just another mark on the ground as the next flies over them all. The dead man falls back from the force. His body rolls all the way back down to the base of the hill. She can feel his blue eyes watching her. From the pull of her arm to the tips of her fingers as she lets another rock fly. Carol holds her breath as it misses completely.

“You’re throwing too hard.”

“And you can do better?”

He digs deep into his upper pocket. As her last rock buries itself into one of their shoulders Carol looks over. The double capper rests comfortably in his palm. They make it his skin look so pale in comparison. That thought was enough to distract her from the fact he was still carrying them. It wasn’t powerful enough from helping her feel a little better.

“I won last time.”

“You cheated.”

“You’re a sore loser.”

“You threw twice as many acorns as me.”

Daryl smirks as he drops his head. She knows his eyes are searching for a stone. That was all he could hope to find. The cold ground is for burying the dead and their secrets. It holds no answers. Nothing ever does. He picks at the ground like a bird looking for their morning meals. Eventually, he lets out a short whistle. A small grey stone bounces up from his hand before being met halfway.

A smile breaks out across her face. Somehow he always pulls it out even after they’ve gone through horrors. Just like yesterday. They had it coming. Every single last one of those damned whisperers. A part of her wanted to think it was because it was right that she killed them. A deep-down feeling that draws upon who she was closer to the beginning. Back when she thought people could be saved. The rest knows the truth. Her fists still shake from the rage that fueled her to keep going. His fingers rubbing against the skin of her wrist pulls her back.

“You okay?”

“Just thinking.”

“About?” Daryl pulls his hand away quickly. It was the first time in a long time his touch didn’t linger. Something was wrong. He shakes his shoulders before taking his shot. True to his title it hits the closest one square in the forehead. The dead lets out one last strangled cry before dropping to its knees. The snap from as its back folds would have been enough to scare the kids.

“My last two lives.”

From the corner of her eye she sees him freeze up. It was only a moment, but her spider sensation caught onto it too. It was like an unlucky bug had wound up into one of its webs. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts.

“What?” He throws another stone. The one that had tripped before falls now. The dead really were easier to hit then a can. She bumps him playfully in the arm with her own.

“Back at the prison. I figured by now I’ve only got about two left. Just enough for that future, you mentioned right?” The breeze pushes the last zombie back down. Death and decay riding on it as well as Rick rode his horse. The mental image was enough to take her back to the last time she saw him.

“Why just two?”

“Dunno. Seems like the right guess. Looking back at everything we’ve been through. How many phases of our lives there've been at this point. All those close calls.”

Daryl was quiet for a bit. His eyes scan the treeline as she just stares at him. She waits for him to break it. As much of the strong and silent type he had become, it wasn’t natural to him. Silence when hunting was natural. Silence with the others had become a habit. Silence around her, well it was becoming rarer and rarer these days. Maybe he was finally starting to feel safe again. Just like she used to back before the Kingdom fell.

When he takes her hand she doesn’t feel the sudden urge to pull away that has accompanied so many others. There are no nerves waiting to send her body adrenaline. For once since the war against the whisperers started she felt calm.

“As long as you have one.” Carol laughs as Daryl kisses her hand softly.

“Well of course. I have to see that future you were so excited for.” She pecks him on his cheek in return. They stand closer then, hand in hand, looking out. That numbing sensation was nothing more than a little ache in her stomach now. A promise that when it’s needed it will be there. Always ready for the next fight.


End file.
